New digital platform provides free training to transform frontline tourism workers into Colorado experts
Denver, Colo., 2019-Sep-25 — /Travel PR News/ — The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) today (Sept. 24, 2019) launched a new online workforce training program called Colorado Concierge, which aims to turn frontline workers into Colorado experts and train them in Colorado-style customer service.
The training platform can be accessed free-of-charge by smartphone, tablet or computer at BeAColoradoConcierge.com. By completing all four modules and a series of quiz questions, anyone can be certified as an official Colorado Concierge and download a certificate to add to their resume.
“Our ultimate goal is to build a statewide community of visitor-friendly ambassadors who can share great answers when a visitor asks, ‘What’s there to do around here?’“ said CTO Director Cathy Ritter. “We also hope this is a way people across Colorado can acquire customer service skills that could increase their earnings and even win them promotions.”
In creating the program, the CTO gathered a statewide Colorado Hospitality Advisory Group to provide input. Advisory group participants represented a variety of hospitality sectors, including hotels, restaurants, transportation, academic institutions and outdoor recreation. The group was chaired by Sonia Riggs, President & CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association, and a member of the Colorado Tourism Board.
The training includes instruction in a wide range of topics important to travelers, from Colorado Essentials to the Care for Colorado Principles to ways to explore the state’s eight travel regions. The CTO contracted with TravPRO Mobile to create the online training platform, which incorporates videos, text, photography and quizzes for an interactive and easy-to-use learning experience. Trav PRO Mobile is headquartered in New Jersey.
The customer service training module was based on CTO research into what sets Colorado hospitality apart from hospitality in other destinations. In a nationwide survey of 750 consumers, about 80 percent of respondents agreed this definition of Colorado hospitality rang true: “A genuine, kind-hearted invitation to share in the life and wonder of Colorado.”
Survey participants also identified the aspects of customer service that were most important to them as travelers: Being made to feel that someone really cared about them and being accepted for who they are. The study also confirmed that so many Coloradans already share that kind of hospitality.
The content for the customer service training module was contributed by Kimberly Tranter, an associate professor in the College of Hospitality Management at Johnson & Wales University in Denver. Tranter is a Class of 2019 member of the CTO’s Colorado Tourism Leadership Journey, a yearlong executive training program aimed at building the Colorado tourism industry’s bench strength.
Colorado Concierge is the latest outcome of the CTO’s Colorado Tourism Roadmap, a statewide strategic plan aimed at sharpening the Colorado tourism industry’s competitive advantage.
About the Colorado Tourism Office:
The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) is a division of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade. The CTO’s mission is to generate traveler spending by promotion of Colorado as a four-season, four-corner, world-class travel destination and development of compelling, sustainable travel experiences throughout the state. In 2018, Colorado travelers spent $22.3 billion, generating $1.37 billion in local and state revenues, reducing the tax burden for every Colorado household by $659. Tourism is the state’s second largest employer, directly supporting 174,400 jobs. For more information, please visit https://industry.colorado.com.
Media contact:
Carly Holbrook
carly.holbrook@state.co.us
720-289-9366
Source: Colorado Tourism Office